Laingsburg set to adopt e-bike rules Tuesday; winter parking next

Laingsburg's new rules for e-bikes and electric scooters could become law Tuesday night. The City Council agenda for its 7 p.m. meeting at the city offices, 114 Woodhull St., lists a "Second Reading and Consideration of Adoption" of Ordinance No. 2026-03, an amendment to Chapter 58 covering "Recreational and Electric Mobility Device Safety." The Current reported in August that the first reading of the e-bike and scooter rules was on the council's Sept. 1 agenda.

Right behind it is a rule that would change where people park on winter nights. The agenda lists a first reading of Ordinance No. 2026-04, another Chapter 58 amendment, this one on "Winter Overnight Parking and Snow Removal." A first reading is not a vote to adopt; under the council's practice with the marijuana fee and e-bike ordinances this year, a second reading and adoption vote follows at a later meeting. The agenda does not include the text of either ordinance, so what the overnight parking restriction would actually require — which hours, which streets, what penalty — is not public in the posted document.

Two sets of street closures are also on the agenda, both tied to events. The Downtown Development Authority has applied to close Grand River Road for "Boo in the Burg." The Laingsburg Business and Community Association has applied to close roads for Winterfest. The agenda does not give the dates, times or the blocks involved for either closure.

On the money side, the council is asked to approve a contract with T.H. Eifert for $2,820 a year running Oct. 1, 2026 through Sept. 30, 2029 — $8,460 over the three years. The agenda does not say what the contract covers.

Mayor Gregory Beavers has appointed Stacey Brewer to the Downtown Development Authority, and the council is asked to approve the appointment. The council will also take up updated Freedom of Information Act procedures, guidelines and written public summary, and hear committee reports from the Library, Planning Commission, DDA, DPW, Treasurer, Police and LSW.

The consent agenda — treasurer's report, bills and approval of past minutes — carries one line item that reads only "EnterTextHere," placeholder text left in the posted agenda. It is the second time this year a Laingsburg packet has gone out with a blank where a figure or description belongs; the Current reported Aug. 30 that the dollar amount in the marijuana permit renewal fee resolution was a blank line in the packet before the Sept. 1 vote.

What happens next: The council meets Tuesday, Oct. 6, at 7 p.m. at 114 Woodhull St. If Ordinance No. 2026-03 is adopted, the e-bike and scooter rules take effect under the terms of the ordinance; the winter parking ordinance would need a second reading at a future meeting before any vote to adopt. We will report the outcome and the vote on each item.